The First Thanksgiving
by DancingSun710
Summary: Thanksgiving Day special one-shot.  Dria has a plan for the first Thanksgiving dinner she will have with the gang.  Does it work? Or does Tea's jealousy cause everything to fall apart?


**Assume seasons 1-4 have occured. Nothing about Once Upon the Egyptian Sands has been revealed. I only own Dria and Cornelius, as well as the insanity that occurs. Happy Thanksgiving everyone!**

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**_~We can only be said to be alive in those moments when our hearts are conscious of our treasures. -Thornton Wilder~_**

Any holiday that celebrates food is a favorite of mine. Thanksgiving is no exception. The Pegasus' Thanksgiving smells include: turkey heating up in the oven; broccoli-rice casserole fresh out of the oven; rolls warming up in the microwave, freshly buttered might I add; and of course, the cranberry salad, complete with marshmallows, grapes, cranberries, and a lot of sugar.

Christmas music is not allowed in here until December 1st. If it comes any earlier, the music loses is importance. I often catch Dad trying to sneak it in early.

"Maxamillion Pegasus, if I hear that music before the 1st…" He quickly retreated back to the garage to put back the holiday tunes. It's not that I don't like Christmas music; it's my favorite and I don't want to overplay it. It was Mom's favorite too, and she held the same views I do.

"Dria, why are you so picky? It's only a few days early." I turned on Father. He shrank back a bit when he saw the anger in my now red eyes. It hadn't been that long ago that they had all discovered the whole truth about my past. Even if I lived for 10,000 more years, I would never be able to repay them for their acceptance of my extra abilities. "If you play it too early, the music loses its special qualities. It only comes once a year you know."

Multiple laughs echoed off the walls of our Domino home. I smiled as our guests finally entered the living room. As Dad went and shook everyone's hand, I jumped into Pharaoh's arms and kissed him senseless. Now that he had his own body, our relationship had only strengthened after all the hardships we had endured. I didn't think it was possible for me to love this man any more than I already had, but every day he was proving me wrong. And he didn't love me because we had been together in the past. He loved me like any normal lover would…as if we hadn't met before, yet hit it off immediately.

"As much as I love seeing you two do this, I would much rather be able to stomach Dria's cooking."

Pharaoh released me with a growl towards Seto. I just whacked Seto's shoulder as I passed by to hug Grandpa. "It's actually not going to be only my cooking this year Seto. I have a game in mind." He narrowed his eyes at me. Normally, I would cook everything for Thanksgiving, and I loved doing it. But, when I woke up this morning, I had a better idea in mind. "I don't like this idea. I want your cooking."

I giggled. Seto didn't like any kind of change, especially not when it came to my cooking. Apparently, it was actually worth eating and the boys always wanted more…once they ate everything of course. I stood on my tip toes and kissed the top of his head. "Don't worry. You'll enjoy it. You hate to lose." His eyes held contempt at the changes I was making.

I hurried over to Joey, Serenity, Tristan, and Duke next. I kissed all their cheeks and winked at Serenity. I had told her that both Tristan and Duke had a crush on her, and I could tell she was looking for those signs. She blushed lightly and ducked her head. I smiled widely; she had noticed more often.

Mai was next. Joey had invited her, at my insistence. Someone had mentioned that she never went home for Thanksgiving because she had cut herself off from her family. So, I decided to include her in our plans. Hopefully, this would become a regular tradition for our odd family. Mokuba snuck up behind me and jumped on my back. He and I laughed as I jumped and flipped us in the air. I moved my head slightly, causing him to float off my shoulders and to the nearby lounge chair.

Tea quickly greeted me, but made a point to stay away from me. As much as I hated the fact that she never got over the Pharaoh, I was also secretly glad because it meant all possible competition was gone. Even though he had told me that I was the only one for him, it didn't make me trust her anymore than I really needed to. When she got angry or jealous, there was no telling what she would do. Bakura was next. I glared slightly at his Millennium Ring, and I knew the spirit inside could sense me. Ryou noticed my odd look towards his necklace, but he was used to the odd looks now. I had forgiven him for his mistakes, but forgiving the spirit was something I was still struggling with. Oh well, he didn't make himself known all that often any more.

"Miss Dria, everything is ready." I squealed excitedly and grabbed Yami's hand. Leading the way into the kitchen, I had everyone gather around the glass bowl in the middle. "Here's the plan. Each of you will draw a name. If you draw your own, put it back. Once you have your partner, you will each be assigned a dish to make. Assuming they all turn out edible, we will be eating your dishes tonight. You may not help members of another team and you may not sabotage any other team's dish. If you do, you and your partner will have to eat it by yourselves, thus possibly ruining your own dish. Any questions?"

Seto raised his hand, "Do I have to?"

"Yes." I turned away from him, indicating that he had no choice. This was intended to be a fun way to spend time with friends and family. I was not going to let his sour attitude ruin my fun. Grandpa raised his hand next, "Will there be enough time to finish everything?"

I nodded, "That's why I asked you all to come here so early. If everything goes according to plan and no one blows up the kitchen, we should be done by six o'clock." Everyone nodded and actually started to look excited about this challenge. "Oh, and the dishes will be random as well. I have prepared another bowl we will draw from once the partners are known."

Tea raised her hand last, "What do the winners get?"

I cocked my head, "I hadn't really thought of that. I guess whatever they want. Losers pay for the winner's dinner one night? I don't know. That wasn't really important to me."

She narrowed her eyes, "When I win, I want you to stay away from Yami and Yugi." Everyone gasped. I merely stared back stoically. Joey came to my side, "You can't ask that, Tea. We all know that Yami and Dria are in love. Asking that is just cold." She glared at him, angered by the fact that he had come to my side and not hers. I placed my hand on Joey's shoulder, trying to express my gratitude.

"Thank you Joey. But don't be too concerned. I don't lose to people like her."

After that little spat, things cooled off and continued as planned. People came up one by one, picking out the little slips of paper I had written on. Once everyone had drawn, we showed the names. The partners ended up being: Yugi & Dria, Yami & Pegasus, Joey & Tristan, Mai & Duke, Tea & Bakura, Seto & Mokuba, and Grandpa & Serenity.

"I wanted to be with Serenity!"

"I wanted to be with Yugi!"

Father sighed and rang the nearby bell, "I do not care who you wanted to be with. You will deal with the partner you have or you will not participate at all. If that is what you choose, the door is over there. You will have to leave until dinner is ready."

"Did I say Serenity? I meant Joey!" I rolled my eyes at the love-struck boys. I knew Mai would be able to control Duke…Joey…I was almost afraid that he would kill Tristan if he said anything about Serenity. I smiled widely at my partner, Yugi. He smiled back and raised his hand for a high five. I laughed as we smacked hands, mostly because I saw a jealous glance come from Yami. Hopefully, he and Dad would be ok too.

The second bowl was brought out and I motioned for Yugi to grab our piece. When he opened it up, his eyes grew wide with excitement. It must have been something good. He handed me the piece of paper and I cheered in excitement. We would get to fix dessert. Tonight's choice: Pumpkin Pie. I wrapped my arm around his shoulder and pulled him off to the side.

We wandered into the dark hallway, leaving behind the shouts of joy and anger. Yugi looked at me in confusion, since we had no reason to be back here. I led him into a small room, which held almost all the supplies we would need, not far from the kitchen. "You have a plan." He stated simply. I smiled bashfully. He knew me too well.

Barely five minutes later, we returned to the kitchen, our arms full with all the spices we would need. I looked at the chart I had asked Cornelius, our butler, to make and put up for me. It read this:

Dria and Yugi - Pumpkin Pie

Yami and Pegasus – Stuffing

Joey and Tristan – Turkey

Mai and Duke – Potato Casserole

Tea and Bakura – Cranberry Salad

Seto and Mokuba – Broccoli Rice Casserole

Grandpa and Serenity – Green Bean Casserole

I smirked evilly. Time for the fun to begin. Cornelius had set out all the recipes we would need in separate locations around the large kitchen. Yugi and I had been placed right in the middle, just according to plan. After making sure that everyone was ready to go, Cornelius rang the bell. Most of the groups dashed around the kitchen, trying to find all the things they needed. Luckily, only two or three of the recipes needed the same materials, so only a few people were waiting on something from another group.

Since Yugi and I had dessert, we more time than we needed. This made it easy to execute my plan. Yugi was a little confused as to why I would want to do this, but he had learned that it was more fun if he didn't question my sanity. To start off, I brushed my hand against Yami's lower back as I passed him on the way to grab the pie mold. He immediately froze and nearly dropped the cornbread pieces he was holding. Father tapped the back of my head as I passed in warning.

Tea snuck a quick glance at Yugi and me as we laughed at a look we shared. I could see the smoke coming out of her ears as she snapped her head back around, throwing herself into the cooking. Yami also casted a curious glance towards us, wondering what could have made me laugh so hard. Yugi and I smiled and secretly high fived under the table as we celebrated our small victories. The plan was working.

Along with Yami's curious and jealous glances, Seto began showing the same emotions. Mokuba did his best to control Seto's attention, but whenever I was concerned, Seto had a one track mind.

Grandpa realized what Yugi and I were doing. He motioned for Serenity to follow him over to us, and we all left for the side room. I quickly explained my plan and its intentions to the other two, hoping that they would join our cause. After sharing a few quick words, the two of them agreed to help. Joey and Tristan would take care of themselves so all that was left was Mai and Duke.

We returned to the kitchen and everyone cast the four of us suspicious glances. I shrugged, "Grandpa and Serenity went to find the cream of mushroom and Yugi and I needed some more cloves." Only Yami, Father, Tea, and Seto questioned the credibility of that statement.

After two more hours, Grandpa and Serenity started to really help. Duke got distracted when Serenity started to dance around with me. This caused him to accidentally drop the cup of milk he was holding, spilling the contents all over the floor. Seto and Yami also got distracted, causing both of them to drop the ingredients they were holding. Tea glared angrily at the two of us, which caused her to rip open the bag of marshmallows she was holding.

A few more hours passed after that incident. The clock began to toll, telling everyone around that it was five o'clock. Only one hour was left. Yugi smiled widely at the sound. We had long since finished the pie, which was now comfortably sitting in the dining room. Due to the distractions, the other groups had to creatively add in extra ingredients. The kitchen smelled absolutely fantastic. I know that experimenting isn't exactly something you would want someone to do on Thanksgiving, but my plan had a bigger point than that.

Right on cue, fast paced music began to play. Many of my monsters began to appear, dancing in and out of the kitchen. Even Slifer, Obelisk, and Ra came through, after shrinking their rather large selves. Dark Magician grabbed my waist and started twirling me around the kitchen. There was just enough space for us to dance wildly without running into anyone else. It was then that Seto and Mokuba stopped cooking. Seto sat down in one of the kitchen chairs, Mokuba on his lap, and just watched.

With Ryou watching worriedly, Tea starting working even faster. She couldn't stand how much fun I was having and wanted to finish so she could bitch at me some more. She abruptly spun around, heading to set the cranberry salad that had been sitting in the refrigerator for the past few hours on the table. Unfortunately, her heel slipped in a bit of milk that hadn't been wiped up. She began to fall backwards, throwing the bowl behind her. I stretched out my hand and grabbed the front of her shirt, holding her up. I waved my other hand across the room, freezing the bowl in place.

But not the food. It fell out of the bowl, covering everyone in the kitchen in cranberries and marshmallows. After a few frozen moments, Seto started to laugh. I immediately joined him, nearly collapsing into a fit of giggles. Soon, the entire kitchen was laughing, Tea included. Yugi winked at me, finally understanding the point of my plot. Father provided everyone with towels to start wiping away all the food. I playfully wiped it off my face, and flicked it into Pharaoh's face. He stared at me in amusement, before deciding to retaliate with the stuffing. He grabbed a fistful of the stuffing and threw it into my hair. I mischievously narrowed my eyes, cocking my head to the right. The pumpkin pie appeared from its place in the dining room.

His eyes widened and he took a few steps back, raising his hands in surrender. I lifted my hand, and waved it in the direction of Duke. It smacked him in the back of the head, throwing pumpkin pie all over his head. That was the last straw. After that move, everyone joined in on the food fight. The clock tolled six o'clock before anyone noticed what had just happened. Yugi sighed good-naturedly, "I guess this means that Joey and Tristan win."

A sudden explosion answered that question for us. Despite being covered in food, we all ran outside to see what had happened. Joey and Tristan were sitting at the back porch, completely covered in coal and…turkey? I collapsed into laughter once again when I saw what had happened. Apparently, they overstuffed the turkey before placing it into a pot of boiling oil and closing the top. They then managed to leave the turkey in too long, causing it to swell to a dangerous size. When they opened it again, the pressure became too great and the turkey exploded.

"I guess Joey and Tristan don't win after all."

After the laughter ended, we all sat down outside. Even though it was November, it wasn't cold enough to not sit outside. "So…what now?" Joey was, of course, concerned about his stomach. I smiled, "Everyone go get cleaned up. After that, we'll go back to the dining room and eat."

Tristan tapped my shoulder, "What are we going to eat? The table? We ruined all the food, remember?" I just shrugged and smiled mysteriously. I grabbed Mai, Tea, and Serenity, leading them up to the girls' showers. While they were showering, I cleaned their clothes of any food traces, leaving them looking good as new. I also slipped into the boys' area, doing the same to their clothes. I changed into a purple tunic with leggings and boots.

After showering, I appeared in the downstairs dining room. Before anyone else arrived, I waved my hand over the table. Empty silver platters appeared on the table, many of which were going to be used. I took my place beside the head of the table, which belonged to Father, of course. Yami joined me first. He sat beside me and moved my hand to his cheek.

"That worked exactly as you wanted it to, didn't it?" I smiled shyly and lowered my head. He chuckled and kissed my palm. He kept my hand in his own, entwining our fingers together. The others started to float in one by one, but my gaze remained on him. Just before Father arrived, Pharaoh stole one last kiss before releasing me. Father sat down and turned towards me. "Time to explain what was going on in your silly head, D."

I smiled, "Not anything too surprising really. I just wanted us all to spend some quality time together and to have good memories of the holidays we spent together. This group is incredibly important to me. You all are my family. I wanted us all to have fun together while acting as a family. It makes the thought much more appealing. Family hasn't exactly been an important aspect of my life, considering the fact I have avoided it as much as I could, given my…condition. This is only the third time in 10,000 years that I have wanted to spend time with a large group of people when I didn't have to. I love each and every one of you dearly."

No one said anything for a few moments. I think they were all surprised by my confession. It was true. I avoided becoming part of a family for thousands of years because all it would amount to was me watching each of them die in the end. I hoped that it wouldn't end up happening now, otherwise I would be lost in my own misery. Joey broke the silence.

"So, where's the food? I'm starving!" I laughed as his priorities came to light. I snapped my fingers, and all the food that had been destroyed appeared on the platters. "This is just like in Harry Potter!" Mokuba exclaimed excitedly. Yami and I didn't stay there for long. After we finished our first helping of food, we slipped away and met up in the upper living room. This room was completely windows on the west side, which allowed us to curl up on the couch and watch the sunset.

I flicked my hand forward, switching on the stereo behind us. Soft instrumental music filled the room and the fire before us crackled quietly. Yami's arm reached around my shoulder and pulled me on top of him as he relaxed against the arm of the couch. I placed my ear over his heart, and hummed along with the piano music.

His head fell back against the corner of the couch, leaving his neck completely exposed. Continuing to hum, I began to gently kiss up his neck, feeling his muscles contract and relax beneath me. I pulled away after a few moments, gazing towards the setting sun. Out of the corner of my eyes, I saw him open his own eyes, which were now filled with concern.

"What's wrong?" I sighed and turned back to him with a smile.

"Nothing really. I just wish Thanksgiving had something like mistletoe…" I gazed back out the window. Suddenly, I found myself staring up at the Pharaoh, who had rolled us off the couch and onto the floor. The movement had been so graceful that I barely noticed the switch. He smirked, "I don't need a stupid weed to give me the right to kiss you." My silly wish soon left my head as his lips descended on mine. Maybe next time, I'll just hang a cornucopia over us. Then again…

"Dria! Yami! Knock it off! This is family time! Not 'let the lovers sneak off to make out' time! Get down here! We're going to play cards." Pharaoh pulled away and frowned at the voice. I smiled when he returned his gaze to me. I leaned up and whispered in his ear, "I did win the challenge…" His return smirk faded into his gentle smile. As he stared at me, I thanked whatever power that might have been above for the second chance to be with him.

A sudden glass of champagne fell on us. Father was standing above us, a fake shock evident on his face. "Oops, it slipped." I wiggled out from underneath my love and took off after my now fleeing father. I'd show him "Oops."

I love Thanksgiving.

**_Forever on Thanksgiving Day_**  
**_The heart will find the pathway home._**  
**_~Wilbur D. Nesbit_**


End file.
